


one small step for a unit, one large step for a someone

by Mistropolis



Category: Cytus (Video Game), Cytus II (Video Game)
Genre: (as happy and of an ending it is), (mostly angst), Bonding, Don’t copy to another site, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, Snippets, Spoilers, and robo's backstory, for nora's dlc, robo and nora protection squad 2k19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 09:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17322494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistropolis/pseuds/Mistropolis
Summary: ROBO_Head's earliest testing stage concludes that they have one flaw; a small malfunction in their leg compartments preventing them from walking properly.Nora has the patience and heart to help ROBO_Head get to their feet; what she wasn't prepared for were all the questions the robotic voice drill into the very core of her conscience.





	one small step for a unit, one large step for a someone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [asterions](https://archiveofourown.org/users/asterions/gifts).



> i know u love ROBO_Head and Nora a lot and we both cry so much when we reach Nora's lv25 ending... i hope u like this!!!!

Nora has had her doubts; what if the unit doesn’t work? What if the unit doesn’t work in the way she wants it to? What if those old-ages robot apocalypse books were right and no robots actually want to obey humans?

Mostly though, she wonders about more practical things. Like if Phoenix himself would approve of this. If anyone from Mogura or Kyuu Hou Kai would just dismantle it on first sight, words about how it might threaten the integrity of Phoenix’s research dripping down their lips as they eye the mechanical parts hungrily.

Despite all of her disbeliefs, ROBO_Head Unit 02 did wake up, however.

At first, it was only static sounds ringing through the lab, which is a common enough occurrence that Nora hasn’t paid much mind at first. It’s not until there are some more visible hiccups in the static sounds sequence itself that Nora has turned towards the electronic compartment behind her, remembering something significant there.

Unit 02 just finished materializing their eyes.

“ROBO… Did you just,” The voice sounds hilariously monotonous, maybe due to the fact that Unit 01’s vocalization compartment hasn’t been properly tuned in some time, but there is still fragments of wonder embedded in it.

Unit 02’s eyes fully form on the computer screen, then their mechanical body slowly starts unfolding from its boxed compartment, extending limbs and whirring gears into life. All the while, Unit 02 wears its neutral pixelated line of a smile.

Nora gives Unit 01 a few tweaks that hopefully convey the full volume of her intended inflexion.

“Welcome to the world, ROBO_Head.”

 

⚝

 

It takes Nora just a few minutes to realize this, but once the realization hits her neurons it becomes a glaring miscalculation she just can’t ignore.

“ROBO_Head, can you walk?”

“This unit. Does not fully comprehend the scope of action Nora has mentioned.” ROBO_Head looks up from where it’s situated, which isn’t much, but there are slight movements in the eyes, attempts to look a little higher.

“I see.” Unit 01 dully relays Nora’s thoughts into the world, and Nora frowns at ROBO’s contraptions. Most everything seems to be in working conditions, so why?

“Do— do you wanna give it a try?”

If pixelated lines can convey perplexion, then ROBO_Head’s two black squares of them are doing an excellent job of showing that ROBO_Head has absolutely no idea what her input just now means. “This unit, does not comprehend the command. Nora, can you repeat that?”

It’s her wording that goes awry there, isn’t it? “ROBO, can you move your leg compartments to facilitate movements across the ground?”

On that command, ROBO_Head seemingly stares down at their legs, two mechanical limbs that so far have exhibited no signs of mobility. Then, as slowly as possible, one part of the limbs start to move.

The lower joint of the left leg starts to bend inwards, just slightly a little more than its original position. And it is inching slightly closer towards the ground.

Then it ceases movements.

“Hmm, so not only do I have to improve your cognitive abilities, it looks like I will have to do something to make your legs move properly too.”

ROBO_Head’s neck compartment tilts to one side. “This unit, does not understand.”

Nora stops typing. “Huh?”

“This unit, does not understand the necessity of such actions.”

“... Define ‘such actions’.”

ROBO_Head raises a shaky finger towards Unit 01 on Nora’s laps.

“Calculation… Complete. This unit concludes that Nora should save up resources onto a better specimen.”

Nora looks onto Unit 01, which had just exhibited a pixelated expression of confusion, before smiling a soft smile at ROBO_Head herself. “Oh… it’s not that simple, ROBO. You probably don’t know this, but—”

“Analysis. This unit, does not think it is a good use of Nora’s current resources to make more modifications to this unit.”

Nora stares back at the notes she had just made, squinting hard at it in a vain attempt to look for the flaws ROBO_Head seemingly sees in it. “But… ROBO, I promise you, I didn’t bring you into this world because I wasn’t confident about your abilities.”

ROBO_Head tilts their head to the other side. “Confident? Abilities?”

But Nora is no longer listening, her hand gestures turning wilder and more restless as she draws lines across the blueprint with whatever grand modifications she had in mind, and ROBO_Head watches on, an unknown feeling ( _feeling?_ ) bubbling up in their internal system, waiting to be shelved away for later analysis.

 

⚝

 

ROBO_Head watches towards the direction of which Nora’s pencil moves across the papers.

This seems distinctly different from what Nora has been doing earlier; wherein earlier she seems to be taking notes and marking down different markers across a blueprint (“ _blueprint”: the draft by which this unit comes into life_ ) (“ _comes into life”; not an appropriate term?_ ), right now she seems to be making wonky, otherwise non-rectangular and non-straight lines across the paper.

“This unit does not fully comprehend the purpose of Nora’s current actions.”

“You mean all these doodles I’m drawing?” Nora raises one piece of the pile of papers she was just drawing on, Unit 01 on the side displaying a humanized smile ( _“smile”: a half-circle curvature, often displayed by humans, in an indication of happiness_ ) and emitting a high-toned sound. “They… are drawings I do, for fun. Yeah, they’re called ‘doodles’.”

“Updating database… ‘doodles’ are drawings Nora makes for fun.”

“Oh, it isn’t just me, I’m sure!” Nora stares back at the doodles herself, and for one glance’s time, ROBO_Head could swear (“ _swear”? What religious, important figure to swear to?_ ) her lips have displayed a heightened curvature, not too dissimilar to the dipped-down half-circle on Unit 01’s display screen. “It’s just something children and many other people of different ages do to have fun, I’m pretty sure…”

At her voice’s end, Unit 01 displays a curved down half-circle along with a noise that sounds sharply different from the sound of happiness just now.

“Analysis… This unit detects a drop in Nora’s heartbeats. Can Nora describe the irregularity that is causing such a change?”

“It’s, it’s nothing.” Nora’s face remains as neutral and colourless as before, but ROBO_Head could see it; the points of her smile lowering down to a tautly pressed line. “It’s just… since I’ve lived my whole life here, I have no idea what kids my age actually do or anything else.”

ROBO_Head’s CPU fires up. “Searching… ‘Children aged 11’.”

“ROBO, you don’t have to do that—”

“Nora, which geographical group of children would you like to research on? Node 08?”

Nora shakes her head a little, and she’s already putting away the stack of papers containing her doodles. “It’s fine, ROBO. Don’t worry about this all that much. I’m fine here as long as Phoenix is here, and you are here.”

ROBO_Head raises their right hand, angling the index finger as if ready to raise another argument. It doesn’t take long for them to put it down though, surely finding holes in their impending arguments themself.

Nora feels a distinct hope blossoming in her heart, that the reason is related to the last part of what she said.

“Look, your leg compartments are coming together better now.”

 

⚝

 

ROBO_Head can now stand on their own. Unit 01’s display screen hasn’t stopped making happy noises for some time. ( _“happy”: a word that needs to be better defined and categorized into this unit’s vernacular later_ )

If Nora has been here to see, she must be making notes with a smile ( _smile?_ )

ROBO_Head surveys their area. Other than the prominent sleeping shuttle they have gotten used to seeing Nora lie down into at night, the room is cramped with other items, shelves filled with wooden boxes and pieces of papers lying around.

The room is distinctly empty of human life signs. With that said though, it’s not hard to see Unit 01 and many other cubic forms of artificial intelligence.

ROBO_Head looks at Unit 01 ( _a fine reservoir of good codes and abilities and—What are you thinking about?_ ) and bends down a little to match its eye level.

“Question: this unit would like to know whether Unit 01 has any capacity for…”

( _intelligence?_ )

( _self-awareness?_ )

( _spirit?_ )

“ROBO?”

ROBO_Head raises their optical sensors back up, to the sight of an inquisitive Nora staring down at them and Unit 01.

With another Unit 01 on her laps.

ROBO_Head turns back to the screen they were just talking to.

“Conclusion: this unit does not possess the ability to distinguish between Nora’s inventory of all units. Suggestion: this unit would like Nora to update this unit’s databases with the corresponding information.”

Nora chuckles, a small wind-chime laugh emitted from Unit 01. “I can do that for sure, ROBO. Though I do wonder… if you specifically want to do that just because you would like to know all my equipment the best you can, or if you treat them as friends in some ways?”

More questions manifest and slither through ROBO_Head’s codes. “Define ‘friends’.”

Nora looks up into the ceiling, a crease between her brows. “‘Friends’ are… I think they are people who do things together. For fun.”

“Question: does Nora mean that friends are people who gather together to do fun things only?”

“Uh, that sounds awkward and not accurate to a fault huh…”

“If Nora doesn’t mind, can this unit raise another question?”

“I don’t see why not. Sure.”

“Are Nora and this unit friends?”

Nora’s lips part way slightly, a breath of hesitance escaping her as it carries no word out. ROBO_Head watches her on, noting down life statistics here and there, seeking out, perhaps, that one sign indicating that Nora is experiencing some genuinely serious thoughts regarding their enquiry.

In the end, Nora shakes her head. “No, we aren’t, ROBO.”

ROBO_Head nods. “This unit understands then, No—”

“Oh, ROBO, I haven’t finished. I don’t mean that we aren’t friends.”

ROBO_Head could feel their own linguistics database starting to fry up around the edges. “But, Nora just said…”

“That you and I aren’t friends. It’s true, but I don’t mean it in a negative way.” Nora moves back to her main working station, the robotic hands installed on her wheelchair flailing gestures freely. Mostly, they are arcing from one side to the other. “I mean in an absolutely positive way. I don’t know if ROBO feels the same way just yet, but I see you as my own family. That goes way deeper than common friendship, I’d believe.”

ROBO_Head can’t make any calculation to deduce correctly the content on their display screen, but they are quite willing to bet it’s something that would resemble a smile. “Thank you, Nora. This unit will update the databases now—”

“Oh, and ROBO? If you don’t mind me saying this—”

“This unit will never ‘mind’ anything Nora says to this unit.”

“You don’t have to hold yourself like that… Anyway, what I was going to say is that I hope you can stop referring to yourself as ‘this unit’. You have a name I think you deserve.”

ROBO_Head nods, a little bit of pressure applied to their still-wobbly legs. “This unit will immediately update the linguistics databa—”

“Ah, not like that—” Nora gives her own forehead an unforgiving hit from her right palm, though she’s still smiling, and laughing after that. “Ah, ROBO. Don’t worry about that. I don’t want you to only start respecting yourself entirely because I told you to, because that’s… that would just be self-defeating, right?”

“This unit is not certain to the nature of Nora’s request.”

“... And that’s okay too. At least on things like that. How have your legs functioned today?”

ROBO_Head stares down their leg compartments, feeling their vocalizer lodged with the truth they don’t want to unfetter. ( _because of what?_ ) “This unit has achieved little improvement today.”

“Hmm, it might seem insignificant to you, but seeing you able to stand on your own like this…” Nora’s wheelchair brings her into an encircling pattern, around ROBO_Head, while she leans down the best she can to look at their leg compartments. Her fingers graze against the joints from time to time, as if attempting to tease out any irregularities still hidden in their notches.

“Hmm, they do seem to be operating perfectly now. Wanna give it a go?”

“Analysis in progress… Is Nora referring to the action of walking?”

“Yeah. ROBO, if you feel like it, I have full confidence in you to try walking again.”

ROBO_Head looks down on their legs again, still stiff and unmoving. Would Nora giving them more commands written into the core of their codes be a better way to push them to actual mobility?

“This unit… does not, understand, ‘feeling’.”

“That’s fine, ROBO. I’m sure you can find out about that in time,” Nora turns back to her work-table, settling down in front of it. “Just like finding the resolve to be who you want to be too.”

“Can this unit raise one more question regarding that?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Does Nora think she’s being who she wants to be?”

Nora never stops tapping away at the keyboard after that. ROBO_Head takes care of themself and plugs themself up, the infinitely compounding questions they have swirling down the drain of their consciousness.

 

⚝

 

“Okay, today we should be able to start trying walking!”

The room is of regular room temperature, but for some reasons, ROBO_Head is certain there is condensation forming a halo around their head. “System updated. Visual and physical data on the action of walking fully obtained.”

“It’s fine, ROBO. I’ve seen you study all those footages for that many times already. I’m sure you can do it this time!”

ROBO_Head slowly sidles closer to the edge until their feet reach the concrete ground. Then, with feet firmly planted onto the ground, ROBO_Head feels his system freezing.

“Can Nora promise this unit something?”

Nora turns to ROBO_Head, and for a moment her eyes are clouded with perplexion. “I don’t remember giving you… Anyway, that’s for later. What is it that you want me to promise?”

“Will Nora promise this unit that upon failure to walk, Nora will move on to building a better unit with better mobilities to fulfil purposes given to this failure of a unit?”

Nora’s plain countenance leaps over to storms in an instant. “What, what kind of idiotic talk is that, ROBO? You know I would never abandon you!”

“This unit can comprehend the logic behind Nora’s sentiments, but this unit hadn’t forgotten the truth of what it must do. This unit has to fulfil the purposes of protecting Nora and Phoenix. If this unit ultimately fails this test once more, Nora… Nora has to understand that clinging to this useless unit will not do Nora any good.”

Nora’s hands fall off from ROBO_Head’s up-raised metal arms, looking down onto the ground dejectedly in the meantime. Her heartbeats have started going up and down erratically, but ROBO_Head finds no resolve in them to talk about that.

“... I will never agree to that.”

An audible question mark pops up onto ROBO_Head’s display screen.

“You heard it, ROBO. I won’t agree with that. Ever.”

“This unit, this unit doesn’t understa—”

“You may really have not seen that, or maybe it’s _because_ you have seen that, but I will never do something as stupid as giving up on you. I put my whole being into you, ROBO. And I will not so easily think of you as a failure for things you don’t even know if you are truly incapable of. Logically, there’s no reason for you to already cast yourself off. And on a, an admittedly, more emotional standpoint,” Nora’s voice gradually drops in volume, a half-finished crescendo that becomes more powerful the quieter the notes are. “You are truly a family to me. A part of my heart, even. I will never, ever, give up on you.”

This is the first time in ROBO_Head’s memory data that Nora has spoken so emotionally to them. Intensely arrhythmic heartbeats, intensely loud and quiet voice volume, the way she has looked into their optical sensors…

“Now, let’s try walking for real this time. Take my hands.”

ROBO_Head’s arms rise, but questions are burning on their fingertips still. Not that ROBO_Head is susceptible to their nature to ask questions again; for this time, their metal fingers have clasped onto Nora’s without hesitation.

“... This unit would like to suggest Nora to use her robotic hands as guides instead, to maximize Nora’s comfort.”

“I feel like my hands will do a better job. And I do like holding your hands, so…”

ROBO_Head looks down on their undoubtedly stiff fingers, noting how uncomfortable they must be. “Can Nora make some more modifications to this unit’s hands, in order to maximize how they—”

“I know what I said, and I do feel the most comfortable I can be with you.”

Nora’s wheelchair starts rolling back, bit by bit, tugging ROBO_Head’s hands. “There, let’s try it. One foot after the other.”

“One foot after the other?”

“Yes. Try stepping out with one foot first.”

With as much strength as possible, ROBO_Head moves their right foot up into the air. Then, as slowly as possible, they move the right foot down slightly further than where it was, slightly closer to Nora’s wheelchair.

“That’s good! ROBO, you are doing amazingly!”

“This, this unit is not sure one small movement as such is adequate.”

“Of course, that’s not the full set of movements of walking just yet, but you are halfway there! Now, try doing that with your other foot.”

ROBO_Head looks down on their other foot, then shifts their eyes towards Nora.

( _If you would just try this—_ )

( _If this could work, if this couldn’t work—_ )

“Nora?”

“If it’s another question, you can feel free to ask me, ROBO.”

ROBO_Head strains their head compartment to turn from watching Nora to looking towards the door, the complicatedly-locked gate meticulously designed to keep out all forms of germs or unauthorized lifeforms or anyone who isn’t Nora, Nora’s inventions, Phoenix or any other of Phoenix’s team members from passing through. ROBO_Head has clear memories of what every inch of this laboratory, this place Nora and they call ‘home’ look like, but other than the several glances they have through the split-second the gate opened there is no knowledge to them whatsoever as to what the outside world looks like.

“Will this unit ever be able to walk even outside of this place?”

“Sure, ROBO,” Nora nods slowly, eyes darting back as if fearing she hasn’t closed the door properly. “As soon as we get over the issue of your walking, you will be able to get out of this lab and to way more—”

“This unit apologizes for not clarifying the specifics of their question.”

“... Huh? What do you mean?”

ROBO_Head drags up every syllable with herculean efforts. “This unit… would like to know if it is possible that we will ever leave Kyuu Hou Kai and Mogura, to the world beyond both of them.”

The smile on Nora’s face becomes more subdued now, the corners of her lips turning down and the light in her eyes fading. The strength in her hands dissolve.

“ROBO… I don’t really know what I can say to that.”

“This unit is not sure as to the reason why.”

Nora rolls slightly away, putting into an uncomfortable distance between the two of them as she rolls her way towards the door. Puts a hand onto it.

Without that, ROBO_Head could have never fathomed just how little Nora seems to be next to the gate confining her.

Nora heaves a sigh, her heartbeats significantly slowing down, and she rolls back to ROBO_Head’s front, takes their hands again.

“I don’t think, I can give you an answer that’s truthful to both of us. Of course, I really, really want to leave this place… but who am I to say whether I could leave? This is where I have grown up my whole life. Phoenix and Ichiro and Daigo and ROBO, you are all the only family I have ever known… I, I really don’t know what it will be like if I can, somehow, step out into the world outside…”

ROBO_Head swivels their head back to the ground, watching for Nora’s writhing form and overcast eyes.

And

they

walk.

Nora didn’t register it at first, something crystalline threatening to erupt from her eyelids ( _“tears”; humans shed them in responses to strong emotions, most typically sadness_ ) causing her to have to close her eyes temporarily, preventing her from looking up or focusing on anything at all.

Upon the sound of gears whirring, however, she looks down.

“ROBO? Did you just?”

ROBO_Head looks down and smiles at Nora. “This unit ‘does’, Nora. It looks like this unit has successfully walked.”

“That’s wonderful, ROBO! I told you you can do it!” Unit 01 chirps out Nora’s sentiments like a fully composed symphony, accompanied by stock party music and projections of bunny emojis.

“This unit, presumes these are celebratory materials Nora prepared in advance?”

“Oh, I, I’ve just got these from somewhere.” Nora’s cheeks flush up for the rarest once. “I got them from that birthday I think… Anyway, the point is you did it! I’m so proud of you!”

ROBO_Head releases their hands from Nora’s. Takes their right leg back, then the left. And they do it again. And they do it again.

“It seems evident enough that this unit has fully mastered walking.”

“You know I believe in you on that, ROBO.”

“This unit understands that, but this unit would also like to be sure of themself. It is crucial in order to fulfil the purposes of protecting Nora and Phoenix. Whether it’s from the people of Mogura and Kyuu Hou Kai, or the people from beyond both groups.”

Nora looks out to the gate with a forlorn expression, like she could just reach out a hand and get there, reach out a hand and unlock herself from the metaphorical shackles of Mogura and the Eye of Horus.

“One day, ROBO, if we do get out of here, we will both learn how to fly.”

ROBO_Head looks the same way, and even though it is difficult to try to tell the differences in a robot’s facial expression, Nora swears there is a subtle change to determination in ROBO_Head’s glances.

“One day, Nora and this unit will both learn how to fly into the world outside.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'LL BE HONEST i still don't have a very good grasp on ROBO_Head's tone, though it's kind of a matter of personal bias that i don't rly like how fractured the English version seems to be. (not that it's too far away from the chinese version... okay it's my problem www) 
> 
> anyway i hope u enjoy this!!! kudos and comments are both appreciated!!


End file.
